Giant Marilyn Monroe statue to leave Palm Springs for New Jersey

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – A massive statue of Marilyn Monroe that has turned heads for two years in Palm Springs is headed east.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/1c83Ctm) says the 26-foot-tall, 34,000-pound statue will be transported in April from California to Hamilton, N.J., where it will be part of an exhibit honoring its designer, Seward Johnson.

A going-away party, open to the public, is planned for March 27.

The statue of the "Some Like it Hot" star arrived in the desert resort city in 2012.

The sculpture depicts Monroe trying to push down her billowing skirt in her memorable scene in the "Seven Year Itch."

The "Forever Marilyn" statue, on loan from The Sculpture Foundation, was previously in Chicago.